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Resellers face issues with unlocking AT&T iPhones

iPhone resellers that had previously unlocked AT&T iPhones in bulk have ran into issues with unlocking the phones recently, putting their businesses in jeopardy. The Wall Street Journal tells the story of Louis Ashner, who ran a business buying used American iPhones and reselling them in China. Sometime in October, Ashner was suddenly unable to unlock iPhones in bulk, and his business collapsed. Other business owners in the U.S. are reportedly experiencing the same issues. It appears that AT&T has done something to make the devices harder to unlock — the carrier didn’t comment on the issue, but AT&T did say it hasn’t changed its policies for unlocking phones for individual customers. AT&T stopped accepting unlocking requests over the phone in mid-October, and now requires online requests.